Side loader for containers

ABSTRACT

The present invention concerns a horizontal U-shaped side loader for containers, especially intended for the handling of overlength containers and comprising gripping devices for lifting the containers from the ground, and the wheels of which in addition to the conventional turning movements required in steering are turnable through 90* so that it is possible to drive the side loader in two fundamental travelling directions, between which an angle of the said magnitude is enclosed.

United States Patent 91 Terho et al.

[451 Apr. 10, 1973 SIDE LOADER FOR CONTAINERS [75] Inventors: Matti Terho, Naistenmatka; Reijo Tiitto, Peltolamminkatu, both of Finland [73] Assignee: Valmet 0y, Helsinki, Finland [22] Filed: Nov. 2, 1970 [21] Appl. N0.: 85,920

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data 2,487,508 11/1949 Anderson ..2l4/390 3,501,039 3/ l970 Mitsuyasu 3,521,773 7/1970 Geister ..2l4/390 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 2,002,080 I 1/1970 Germany ..2l4/390 Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-George F. Abraham Attorney-Richards and Geier ABSTRACT The present invention concerns a horizontal U-shaped side loader for containers, especially intended for the handling of over-length containers and comprising gripping devices for lifting the containers from the ground, and the wheels of which in addition to the conventional turning movements required in steering are tumable through 90 so that it is possible to drive the side loader in 7 two fundamental travelling directions, between which an angle of the said magnitude is enclosed.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures SIDE LOADER FOR CONTAINERS In container side loaders belonging to previous art difficulties of balance have been encountered because in them the center of gravity of the container at certain stages of the loading process lies outside the side loader and therefore tends to tip the side loader over one pair of its sidewheels. For this reason it has not been possible to handle with previously known side loaders any very heavy loads or containers. In practice, the lifting of heavy loads is also prevented by the loadability of pneumatic tires. Likewise, the point loads transferred by the tires to the base often become excessively high in these models. These phenomena result from the circumstance that a load which has been displaced to be outside the side loader exclusively subjects to load the tires of the wheels on one side of the side loader, upon which, if the load is heavy, also a remarkable portion of the weight of the side loader itself is transferred. Even in the handling of conventional containers there already occur such point loads that the allowable standards are exceeded both as regards the durability of tires and e.g. in respect of permissible point load on the deck of a ship.

In the invention endeavors have been made to eliminate the said drawbacks. At the same time the aim has been kept in mind that the containers should be loadable e.g. into a ship in such manner that there remain betweenv them corridors in significantly smaller amount than before, whereby the cargo space of the ship can be better utilized, which in its turn has a positive effect on the transporting economy of containers.

The invention is mainly characterized in that the body of the side loader has been made so that, viewed from above, it forms an open space that can be likened to a gaping mouth and in which the container to be handled fits sidewise, that is with one of its long sides first, whereby thus the body comprises a part lying adjacent to one longer side of the container to be transported and two parts which lie adjacent to the ends of the container which is to be transported.

A side loader according to the invention is able, under the specified conditions, that is when it has been provided with wheels turnable through 90 and with the body shape defined above, to load rather much heavier loads than side loaders belonging to prior art, because the transporting and handling of the load itself does not require any such devices by which the container would have to be displaced in its sidewise direction so far that the center of gravity of the container would fall outside one wheel line or the other of the side loader. In fact, all such comparatively complex horizontal transporting devices become superfluous, and one manages quite satisfactorily, in a side loader according to the invention, merely with such container lifting and supporting devices which in the first place perform only vertical hoisting. If, again, for one reason or another the point load caused by the wheels is decisive, then it is possible to handle with a side loader according to the invention loads which are more than twice as heavy as those which can be handled with previously known side loader types.

The invention and other circumstances associated with it are considered in greater detail in the following with reference to the attached schematical drawing and to one embodiment example of the invention presented in this drawing.

FIG. 1 shows, schematically and viewed from above, the lower deck of a container ship (a horizontal section through the ship) together with a side loader according to the invention operating on this deck.

FIG. 2 shows the side loader, viewed from above, and FIG. 3 shows the same side loader in another projection, from one side.

FIG. 4 shows the side loader, seen from one end.

In FIG. 1, a side loader according to the invention has been driven into the ship on its deck 1 through an opening 3 placed in the stern of the ship. The containers have been indicated withreference numeral 2, and they are twice as long as containers consistent with the ISO standard. The term ISO means the Intemational Organization for Standardization which issues Recommendations stating the dimensions and ratings of freight containers. While in the event that conventional straddle trucks are used there remain passages between the containers which are parallel to the long sides of the containers, the side loader according to the invention enables the containers to .be placed in such manner that between them remain passages 8 parallel to the short sides of the containers, which has a positive influence on the chances of carefully utilizing the cargo space. Furthermore, the load cannot be displaced even in very rough sea; it is well-known that shifting of the cargo abeam is often fateful in regard of safety at sea.

In FIGS. 2 and 3 the general shape and design of a side loader according to the invention has been schematically shown. Dot-and-dash lines indicate the position of an overlength container when it is being transported by the side loader. It is essential that the body of the side loader comprises three parts, namely, the part 5a which lies beside one long side of the container, and parts 5b, which correspond to the ends of the container. The side loader has four wheels 6 (or e.g. four paired wheels), which are turnable through so that the side loader may be driven both in the direction of arrow A and in that of arrow B. Furthermore, the wheels 6 or part of them can be acted upon by means of conventional steering mechanisms so that the side loader can be steered in both of its principal directions of travel. The manner in which such tumability of the wheels can be accomplished has not been presented in any greater detail, because this does not actually fall into the sphere of the present invention and since this technical problem can be solved in innumerable different ways. For instance, one may advantageously apply any and all of the previously known hydraulic steering systems which are found in conventional straddle trucks now on the market which have been made for transport of containers and other loads. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the drivers cab 4 of the side loader has been placed in the body part 5a at one end, but it may naturally be placed in other-ways as well.

In FIG. 4 a side loader has been presented which deposits the containers in two layers on top of each other. For this purpose, on both bodyparts 5b of the side loader there have been provided elongating and retracting mast cranes 7, which on the transverse beam at their upper ends have gripping elements fitting into the corner pieces on the upper corners of the containers. Owing to the mode of operation of the side loader according to the invention, it is usually appropriate to arrange the container gripping elements to operate in connection with the body parts 5b. It is certainly true that it is immaterial in principle even if part of the gripping elements were placed on the side of body part 5a, in which event they would then engage with the socket apertures of the corner pieces opening onto this long side.

Even in other ways the invention is by no means narrowly confined to the embodiment example shown in the drawing; it is rather possible to alter and modify various details in the design of the side loader without departing from the sphere of the invention.

We claim:

1. A side loader for long containers, which comprises a loader body having an elongated part and two side parts connected with opposite ends of said body part,

side parts being substantially shorter than said body part and extending substantially at right angles thereto, whereby a U-shaped member is formed enclosing a space receiving the containers, four wheels, means supporting two of said wheels at said ends of the body part and the other two wheels at the outer ends of said side parts, said means causing the steering of said wheels and turning them to the extent-of ninety degrees, mast cranes carried by said side parts, a transverse beam having gripping means for lifting the containers and located at the upper ends of said cranes, said gripping means engaging with the-upper corner pieces of the container, and a driving cab mounted at the juncture of said body part and one of said side parts. 

1. A side loader for long containers, which comprises a loader body having an elongated part and two side parts connected with opposite ends of said body part, side parts being substantially shorter than said body part and extending substantially at right angles thereto, whereby a U-shaped member is formed enclosing a space receiving the containers, four wheels, means supporting two of said wheels at said ends of the body part and the other two wheels at the outer ends of said side parts, said means causing the steering of said wheels and turning them to the extent of ninety degrees, mast cranes carried by said side parts, a transverse beam having gripping means for lifting the containers and located at the upper ends of said cranes, said gripping means engaging with the upper corner pieces of the container, and a driving cab mounted at the juncture of said body part and one of said side parts. 